InnerActive Consulting – Insights » 2009

Facts Alone Don’t Change Actions

Here is the truth concerning poor performance, especially in the worlds of selling and leadership. Facts alone do not excite people to take action.

Here is the answer to getting people to take action. Use emotion to sell the idea and the logic (facts) will justify their need to take action.

While it is true that some organizations attempt to eliminate the development of relationships in the buyer-seller environment (WalMart is an example), it is still the emotion side that gets people to take immediate action. If you are not getting any immediate reactions or focused questions about implementation, then you are not hitting the emotion buttons.

Ineffective leaders and sales people use a form of “corporate speak” in their presentations that provide logic and facts for the audience without any emotional spirit. And, they are surprised when no one responds to their message with action or action commitments. What is happening here?

Usually this is a style related issue with the leader or sales person having a behavioral combination that minimizes the preference for emotion. These people actually believe that logic will persuade others to take action and emotion should be left out. They present their logic and expect people to accept it at face value and take action.

This assumption is flat out wrong! Sales training 101 clearly states that “ALL DECISIONS ARE 100% EMOTIONAL” and then we use logic to justify our emotional decision. More than once I have been called on this statement by the people who believe in their logical explanations. Well, after a few examples that hit home for the individuals, we agree that emotion must have a major bearing on our decision making process.

The best method to use to get emotional buy-in to a decision is to tell a story. Let the story grab the attention of the audience / listener. Allow the listeners to place themselves in the story and feel the emotions – good or bad emotions depends upon the message and solution. When people get involved they are more likely to commit to action during a debrief or call to action.

Use this tip to improve your sales results or your leadership effectiveness. If you want more ideas for improving your results and getting to the next level – call us at 901-757-4434 and ask about our coaching programs.

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Posted by Voss Graham on May 14, 2009 at 5:00 am under Coaching.
Tags: Coaching, Emotional Buy-in, Emotional decisions, Getting results
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Knowing What to Do is Apart from Actually Doing It

Here is some valuable information:

“Knowing What to Do is Separate from Actually Doing It!”

I am continually amazed by comments from leaders of organizations who announce “my people know what to do.” And, then when asking questions about the outcomes and results – I get non answers or corporate speak. (Corporate speak is the sterile response to a tough question that contains no emotion, no action and no commitment.)

Why does this happen? Because the “knowing-doing” gap is in action or really inaction. The Knowing-Doing gap is a fatal condition that allows people with excellent information and knowledge to limit their actions or worse – take the incorrect actions.

I had a sales manager tell me that he was concerned about his team. They kept telling him – usually when they lost a potential sale or customer – they knew they did something wrong – even though they were trained to do it correctly. He told me that he was hearing this too often and he knew he had to take action or his team could fall short of their goals. Continue reading ‘Knowing What to Do is Apart from Actually Doing It’ »

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Posted by Voss Graham on May 13, 2009 at 5:13 am under Sales.
Tags: Beliefs, Bridging the Knowng-Doing Gap, high performance sales teams, Impact of beliefs on performance, Knowing-and-Doing Gap, Phoenix Seminar, Self-Esteem
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Not Using KISS Caused our Financial Meltdowns

KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) is an old principle used to remind sales people and leaders to keep things simple. It is probably more important today than ever before. Why do I say this? Because complexity seems to be everywhere and is causing our overall economic losses.

While complexity is present in many areas of our lives today, and certainly is necessary for development, change and progress. However, when it is over-used or applied to people or financial issues, then it goes to far and needs to reined in. In fact, as a rule of thumb – if something is too complex for the average person to understand – then it is time to say no or to reexamine the purpose and content of item in question.

All the financial meltdowns were caused by smart people who made things very complex and confusing to the average person. If they had been asked more often to explain it in common terms with both the pros and cons, then maybe others would have caught the problems earlier and saved millions and now billions of dollars from loss.

It takes high self-esteem for anyone to question a smart person about their work. Smart people (who are morally corrupt) will purposely attempt to confuse you and then intimidate you if you appear not to understand. They are counting on you to lack the courage to question what they are doing.

During my career, I have seen multiple meltdowns for investors or businesses. The common theme has been someone creating a complex model that others don’t truly understand. The problem as I see it, is the other common factor is the relationship to financial and legal matters. When these factors are combined, the normal person can have difficulty in understanding what is actually happening and what is actually in play.

Therefore, beware of the complex and embrace the simple. Simple is still a good thing. More people can comprehend and understand a simple solution or idea. Then people can execute the plan and get good results. Everything you do needs to include simplicity rather than complexity if you want to be more effective.

One of the advantages we provide our clients is the ability to simplify issues or problems they are experiencing. If you feel that a problem or issue is too complex for you, call us. 901-757-4434 is our phone number and we will look forward to helping you.

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Posted by Voss Graham on May 12, 2009 at 5:34 am under Strategy.
Tags: Creative Problem Solving, Economic downturn, financial meltdown, financial understanding, Keep it Simple Stupid, KISS, People and Communication
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Leadership and Change go Hand in Hand

Last week I was asked what was the key factor in successful change. My knee jerk answer was leadership. Then we discussed the impact of leadership upon change. It is a factor that you must have in your organization is there is a need for significant change.

Strong and effective leaders known the status quo will not get them to the next level of performance or success. They also know that many people within their organization will continue to do the same things over and over without any change.

Therefore, effective leaders do things to get change done within their organizations. Here are five things effective leaders to make change work for their organizations. Continue reading ‘Leadership and Change go Hand in Hand’ »

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Posted by Voss Graham on May 11, 2009 at 5:14 am under Leadership.
Tags: Effective Communication, Effective Leaders, Goals and Outcomes, Leadership, Managing Change
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Does Your Training Have an Objective?

Sometimes I have to apologize for my daily insight as it should be a no-brainer. Yet, it seems every week there is a call or an executive that wants some type of training for their company or group that can not answer this question.

How can you determine the return on investment for any training if there is no thought regarding the objectives or outcomes from the engagement?

This has been (and seems to continue to be) an issue in the corporate environment. There are direct and indirect expenses involved with training as well as time lost from a daily job environment. If there is no objectives – ones that can be measured – how can anyone determine if the training is paying back? Continue reading ‘Does Your Training Have an Objective?’ »

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Posted by Voss Graham on May 8, 2009 at 11:52 am under Performance management.
Tags: Goals and Outcomes, Questions to ask before training, ROI, Training Objectives, Training ROI
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Involvement equals commitment

Today’s tip is for sales people and leaders. It’s a simple concept that works its magic with no pain or ill feelings. It’s all about focusing on the other person. Here how it works.

Ask a question of a customer or employee, listen to the response and then ask another question for clarity on the topic answer. You use a simple phrase:

“Help me understand…(fill in the blank based upon the previous answer).”

This three little words will open up the flood gates of information flow. Your responsibility is to continue to listen to the flow of information and possibly new ideas. There are three things you need to do:

Listen with an open mind. This is not the time to argue a point or detail. It’s time to listen and acknowledge the other person.
Continue to ask questions when you are uncertain of the direction or flow of information – especially to gain clarity regarding a point. A major opportunity for sales people is to learn more about the impact of problems, especially the problems that you or your company can fix.
Assuming you understand the definition of general or specific words or terms can be a fatal mistake. Here’s a new flash – your definition of a word or term could be materially different from the customer or employee! The only way to know for sure what they mean is to ask a question looking for meaning. A simple yet mostly overlooked method for gaining understanding about your customer or employee.

Asking questions and listening to the complete answers, then asking follow-up questions without bias or assumptions facilitates real understanding. And, a greater benefit of these methods is the customer or employee becomes committed to helping you – because they feel respected.

To learn more tips for sales or leadership, contact us at InnerActive Consulting Group – 901-757-4434. We look forward to hearing from you.

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Posted by Voss Graham on May 7, 2009 at 5:30 am under Leadership, Sales.
Tags: Gaining commitment, Gaining rapport, Listening skills, Questioning skills, Sales Tip, Understanding People
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Lose the Word “WHY” When Questioning Others

As a communication tip, you need to lose the word “WHY” when asking questions of others. This rule of thumb is to be used if you prefer to have objective discussions like two adults.

When you use Why as the first word in the question, you are creating a potential emotional reaction. When a person is asked why they chose something or made a certain decision, they usually feel the need to defend their position. Then the discussion goes emotional and feeling take the center stage. I prefer to learn the reasons or circumstances that were involved in the decision. Then we can have a true dialogue, rather than a potential debate.

Learn to ask questions using other questioning words – what, how many, did you look at, etc. – that create a back and forth dialogue. Learn this technique and become a better person, friend or boss.

There is one exception to this rule: You can ask yourself questions using the WHY word. Since it is difficult to debate with yourself, learn the factors that influenced your decisions and choices. This is the only time it is okay to use the WHY word in a question.

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Posted by Voss Graham on May 6, 2009 at 5:27 am under Effective Communication.
Tags: Effective Communication, Eliminating Why in Questions
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Listening is Key Factor to Higher Job Satisfaction

Several years ago I learned an important point about one of the major causes of higher productivity and job performance. It is very simple, yet, seemingly difficult for many to master. Here is the key: Listen. Yes, listen to your staff and employees when they talk. Even encourage they to talk and share their opinions about important issues.

Here the explanation: Research regarding direct relationships between job performance and employee job satisfaction was performed by a group of researchers. They found that employees who felt that they could present their ideas to management without any negative consequences were more motivated to perform well for the company. Further examination of this concept found that even if no action was taken on an employee’s suggestions. comments or ideas – it did not matter – job satisfaction was higher.

So, the more employees and staff feel they can share their opinions, ideas, comments or suggestions with their managers, the higher their job satisfaction ranking. And, the research showed that the higher job satisfaction was the only direct relation to higher job performance. Higher wages or salary, working conditions, or benefits – did not have a direct relationship to job satisfaction and job performance.

Therefore, as a leader or manager of an organization, you must find the time to listen to your employees. Their ideas, comments, suggestions and opinions matter – particularly to job performance. If you are looking for higher job performance with an emotional buy-in factor – then listen more. Seek out comments and ideas. You will be surprised by the quality of the information provided as well as the higher effort from your team.

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Posted by Voss Graham on May 5, 2009 at 8:56 am under Leadership.
Tags: Emotional Buy-in, high performance, Higher Job Satisfaction, Listening skills
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Everyone Is Doing It is NOT a Good Decision Choice

Many times I hear someone say: “Everyone is Doing it!” as the reason for a poor choice or decision. Have you ever heard of the story about the “Thundering Herd.”

Seems that herds of buffalo – as well as other species – group together and start running in the same direction. This herd or group are all together, heading in the same direction and seem to have a sense of urgency. There is just one issue and it can be a major one. No one seems to know why or who choose the direction they are running in. In fact, often it’s a cliff. And surprise, a drop off a cliff can kill you. Which is the fate of many of the best and largest groups or “Thundering Herds!”

My belief is individuals are unique. The major thing that separates us from these animals in the thundering herds is our brain and the ability to think for ourselves. When we let others think for us, they take control of our life and our fate. This is not a path that I take lightly. My coaching clients get a steady dose of taking responsibility for their thoughts and decisions.

Examine your choices, think about the possible consequences (include taking no action in your analysis) and make a choice based upon the best or optimal solution to the issue. It is your responsibility to make your own decisions. The choice made because “everyone else is doing it!” is a common mistake made by people.

Group think or the thundering herd can make choices based upon the urgency of the moment, rather than a unique purpose or goal. There is another consequence for the followers of the group choice – it may not be in your personal best interest to participate. Just like running off the cliff, I have seen people get into trouble with the IRS; lose their life savings; invest in poor quality investments; or as simple as hiring someone who is a total mismatch to a job – just because others said they would be great!

Take the time to think about your choices and make decisions based upon the outcomes that make sense to you. Avoid following other’s selection unless they can communicate the purpose (and it is okay to review their choice) and you will not fall off the cliff.

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Posted by Voss Graham on May 4, 2009 at 4:49 pm under Personal Development.
Tags: Group Think, Making Choices the Right way, Thundering Herd syndrome
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Which Customer has a High Sense of Urgency to Buy?

One of the most common questions asked by sales people is: “Which Customer do I spend time with to make a sale?” and the second most common question is – Which Customer has a high sense of urgency to buy? Both questions relate to the same point. How do you recognize if a customer is someone that you should invest your time in order to make a sale?

While there are several additional factors to understand in this situation, there are four triggers to observe. Using questions, you must find out the relationship between the current results and the desired results for each customer. Then based upon this information, you will have the necessary information to decide how much time to spend with each customer.

Okay, here are the four triggers: Continue reading ‘Which Customer has a High Sense of Urgency to Buy?’ »

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Posted by Voss Graham on May 1, 2009 at 5:30 am under Sales.
Tags: B2B selling, Lead Generation, Selecting real buyers, Targeting customers
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Archive for May, 2009

Facts Alone Don’t Change Actions

Knowing What to Do is Apart from Actually Doing It

Not Using KISS Caused our Financial Meltdowns

Leadership and Change go Hand in Hand

Does Your Training Have an Objective?

Involvement equals commitment

Lose the Word “WHY” When Questioning Others

Listening is Key Factor to Higher Job Satisfaction

Everyone Is Doing It is NOT a Good Decision Choice

Which Customer has a High Sense of Urgency to Buy?

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